Niecy Nash dishes on her TV dominance with ‘Claws’ and ‘When they See Us’
It’s a good time to be Niecy Nash right now.
The veteran actress currently stars in two buzzy shows airing simultaneously: Netflix’s “When They See Us,” helmed by powerhouse Ava DuVernay, and TNT comedy “Claws,” now in its third season (Sundays at 9 p.m.)
Nash, 49, has been a supporting player in a slew of comedies, from “Family Guy” to “Scream Queens” to “The Soul Man.” She says she considers this renaissance phase of her career to be “re-introducing” herself.
“Because I was in a situation where the industry only saw me one way, which was ‘she’s a comedic actress,’” says Nash, who also received an Emmy nomination for HBO comedy “Getting On.”
“When They See Us,” (now streaming) is certainly a pivot from humor. Based on the real-life case of the “Central Park Five” a group of young African American men wrongfully convicted for raping a the Central Park jogger in 1989, the show portrays their devastating story. Nash plays Delores Wise, mother of one of the young men, Korey Wise, played by Jharrel Jerome.
“We became so tight,” she says of working with the young “Moonlight” star. It’s a harrowing role that Nash is getting early Emmy buzz for, and it’s one she’s been waiting for her whole career.
“It’s a very hard project, not just for me as an actress but as a person,” she says, adding that “When They See Us” is also the first project she’s done where crisis counselors were provided on the set.
“The industry saw me as ‘She does comedy,’ and I felt like I could do so much more,” Nash says. “I’m so blessed to be a part of this. [The world’s reception] has been overwhelming.”
Nonetheless, although she’s finally showing off her drama chops in “When They See Us,” Nash says she still enjoys both drama and comedy equally — and “Claws” allows her to show off the latter.
“Claws,” which is in its third season, ranks within the top-10 cable dramas for the 18-49 age group. The series follows a squad of Florida nail stylists turned money launderers led by Nash’s character, Desna Simms, who’s the owner of Nail Artisans salon, where the characters operate. It also co-stars Carrie Preston (“True Blood”) and Judy Reyes (“Scrubs”).
Nash, who lives in LA with her second husband, Jay Tucker, says she relishes the chance to play a character who’s relatable to many women and yet doesn’t often appear on TV: a woman above the age of 40 who’s not a mother.
“I love the fact that she’s on the far side of 40, no husband, no children, she has sex for pleasure. A lot of people can identify with that,” she says.
This season, the women of “Claws” are also led by Nash in a different way: She’s stepping into the director’s chair for the first time. The episode she helms is the fifth, airing July 7.
“I love telling people what to do! I enjoyed it a great deal,” she says.
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